Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

BERRATHOX. 483
And dost thou remember Ossian, car-borne Toscar,
son of Conloch ? The battles of our jouth were
many. Our swords went together to the field.
They saw us coming like two falling rocks. The
sons of the stranger fled. " There come the warriors
of Cona !" they said. " Their steps are in the paths
of the flying!" Drawnear, son of Alpin, to the song
of the aged. The deeds of other times are in my soul.
My memory beams on the days that are past : on the
days of mighty Toscar, when our path was in the
deep. Draw near, son of Alpin, to the last sound
of the voice of Cona !
The king of Morven commanded. I raised my
sails to the wind. Toscar chief of Lutha stood at my
side ; I rose on the dark-blue wave. Our course was
to sea-surrounded Berrathon, the isle of many storms.
There dwelt, with his locks of age, the stately
strength of Larthmor ; Larthmor, who spread the
feast of shells to Fingal, when he went to Starno's
halls, in the days of Agandecca. But when the
chief was old, the pride of his son arose; the pride
of fair-haired Uthal, the love of a thousand maids.
He bound the aged Larthmor, and dwelt in his sound-
ing halls!
Long pined the king in his cave, beside his rolling
sea. Day did not come to his dwelling ; nor the
burning oak by night. But the wind of ocean was
there, and the parting beam of the moon. The red
star looked on the king, when it trembled on the
western wave. Snitlio came to Selma's hall : Snitho
the friend of Larthmor's youth. He told of the king
of Berrathon : the wrath of Fingal arose. Thrice he
assumed the spear, resolved to stretch his hand to
Uthal. But the memory of his deeds rose before the
king. He sent his son and Toscar. Our joy was
great on the rolling sea. We often half-unsheathed
our swords. For never before had we fought alone,
in battles of the spear.
Night came down on the ocean. The winds de-
parted on their wings. Cold and pale is the moon.
The red stars lift their heads on high. Our course is
slow along the coast of Berrathon. The white waves
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